I’ll miss you all over the next several months, but I’m really looking forward to a summer break from blogging. A few years ago I took one month off. For the past two years I took two months off. This year, I’m going for three!
I need it.
I keep learning the value of rest and soul care, and even though it’s definitely not my first nature, I’m getting better at least attempting to practice it.
The Refuge has a simpler summer rhythm, too, and I can unplug from a lot of the regular day-in-day-out in my week to rest, play (hopefully on the lake as much as possible, water skiing and surfing, my new favorite), and dream a little more intentionally, too. Sometimes, the grind of so much real life, pain, and community life makes it hard to look up.
This is also the last summer before the twins are driving, and I’m so excited to play with them while I can. With my three oldest kids now gone, even for summer, I am feeling the reality of how fast time is flying and I don’t want to miss it.
Plus, there’s plenty to read around here already. 7 years worth! Seriously, I’ve been writing my guts out for a long time, and if you are new here you can check out the different categories or drop down menus and see what you might have missed.
Since there won’t be any posts up here until September 1st, I thought I’d leave you with a few extra links, too, some things that you might not have seen if you’re not on the Facebook page or just because they were on my mind today.
Podcasts / I had some fun and interesting conversations about Faith Shift on a few different podcasts.
- The God Journey with Wayne Jacobsen- Faith Shifting with Kathy Escobar
- Fathom Podcast with Dustin Comm – What to Do When You Lose Faith
- Pulpit Fiction with Robb McCoy and David Fistler – Thursday Night Special 2.6 with Kathy Escobar
- Everyday Agnostic with Cass Midgley & Dr. Bob Pondillo – Episode 37 – Kathy Escobar
The Work of the People Videos / Some of you have already seen some or all of these videos from Work of the People from last year. You can watch them all here at their site or from the blog. I thought I’d share two of these here today because they so fit into conversations I have had this week.
This first one is centered on Faith Shift and Rebuilding after all we’ve once believed comes apart. What happens when our old spiritual tricks stop working but we’re desperate for signs of Life?
And then, because we are facilitating Walking Wounded: Hope for Those Hurt by the Church right now and I’m always struck by the realities of how much damage misused power has done to so many, here’s one of the other clips from that series, Holding Onto Power. All roads lead to power, and it’s why we have to keep talking about it (even when we don’t want to).
Speaking of Power, listen to this on Narcissism and the Church / The audio piece below is one of the most important things I have listened to this year. Boz Tchividjian shared it with me via Twitter after I wrote the post called a thing (or two) about narcissism + church (most read post in this blog’s history, that tells us something). This is a long piece but so worth listening to if you are or have ever been part of narcissistic-centered churches. It is centered on Narcissistic Personal Disorder but there are so many other things in it as well about sheep and power and our crazy desire to be part of a winning team.
SheLoves Magazine / I love writing a Down We Go column for them once a month, and I’ve been with them for quite a few years now! Here’s a list of all of the posts I’ve written there. There’s all kinds of great content over there, most every day each week.
Series / This page has different blog series I have done over the years. The most recent was centered on Faith Shift, but there are a bunch of others, too.
Formation Fridays / If you’re looking for something with a little more intention, these were a series of posts on Fridays centered on experience and engaging (or re-engaging) with God somehow. I am hoping to get back in the groove of some of these in the fall. I miss them.
Faith Shift: Finding Your Way Forward When Everything You Believe is Coming Apart / Well, you have three months to read it if you haven’t yet! I really do love this little book and the best part of it has been the stories. Thank you for sharing them with me, via email and Facebook and in real life and here. It has made it all worthwhile. This book was never going to be a bestseller because of the content, but I am so grateful it’s making its way into the right hands and hearts. That’s what I wanted most. If you read it over the summer, I’d love to hear what resonates. And speaking of processing Faith Shift, I was able to videotape the Denver Processing Party, and when I come back in the fall I hope to facilitate some kind of private online processing party. Let me know if you re interested in participating.
I do still love Down We Go, too / It took a back burner this past year in terms of emphasis, but it still is my first love when it comes to what I believe about church and community and what could be. If you haven’t read it yet, you can check out what it’s about here or get a copy here. I love the 8 practices of people (and communities who are extending love, mercy and compassion, welcoming pain, honoring doubt, diffusing power, practicing equality, pursuing justice, cultivating creativity, and celebrating freedom. If I re-wrote it, I’d now add a 9th–nurturing collaboration. I keep learning so much about what can happen when we nurture partnerships with local organizations, government agencies, and other faith communities on behalf of people and community change. It’s so beautiful!
Let’s Make a New Playlist / Okay, last thing. My friend KC Jones wrote a great piece on Patheos called Songs of Faith and Doubt. I shared it on Facebook and it really resonated with some folks. I know there are so many other good songs out there that we need to know about! My goal over the summer is to make a new playlist for spiritual refugees, church burnouts, and freedom seekers. If you’ve got a good one to add, please share it with me.
Hello My Old Heart / Meanwhile, I’ll close with this, a song that I started to write about last year and never finished. It’s called “Hello My Old Heart” by the Oh Hello’s. When I first heard it, I cried. Sometimes I do miss God, and this song was a sweet tender opening. And hey, I’ll take any opening I can get.
Thank you for reading and hanging out here. I always say it, but it’s true: You are a gift to me in all kinds of ways.
I hope you have a great summer filled with some sweet surprises.
See you September 1st.
Love and peace,
kathy
ps: This is a picture of the lake we go to as much as possible all summer long. I’m so grateful my husband is a lake rat like me. It’s 10 minutes from our house and our second favorite place to be next to the beach. #bestsoulcareever.